The final battle of the Sinnoh League Lily of the Valley Conference—
The championship match.
Ash vs. Tobias!
Both Trainers had already qualified for the Ultra Ball Tier of the World Coronation Tournament.
Now, they faced each other in one final showdown.
Squirtle vs. Deoxys!
This time, Ash had assembled the strongest Pokémon from each stage of his journey, together with his original Kanto starter trio—the veterans who had been with him from the very beginning.
Unfortunately, perhaps because both Bulbasaur and Squirtle had never fully evolved, neither could unleash their full strength or potential.
Against Legendary Pokémon...
They were still at a disadvantage.
"What a pity..."
As Aiden murmured those words, the battle reached its climax.
Squirtle was already being overwhelmed by Deoxys' relentless assault.
In the end, a devastating Cosmic Power-empowered strike smashed Squirtle into the ground, leaving it unable to battle.
"The battle is over!"
"Squirtle is unable to continue!"
"Deoxys wins!"
"With all six of Ash's Pokémon unable to battle, the champion of this year's Lily of the Valley Conference is—"
"Tobias!"
It was truly unfortunate.
Victory had been only a single step away.
Although Ash possessed elite powerhouses such as Charizard, Sceptile, Infernape, and Pikachu, six-on-six battles demanded greater overall depth.
After all, his future ace, Bond Greninja, had yet to appear.
Neither had Solgaleo, Sirfetch'd, Lucario, or the many powerful partners he would later obtain.
Compared with the world's absolute elite, Ash was still lacking.
Aiden could only sigh as he watched Ash finish as runner-up once again.
...
Following the conclusion of the Lily of the Valley Conference, the Indigo Plateau Conference, Silver Conference, Ever Grande Conference, and the other regional League tournaments also came to an end one after another.
Only then did Pokémon League Headquarters make its official announcement.
The Ultra Ball Tier would be held in the Paldea region.
Perhaps this decision had been made to strengthen Paldea's ties with League Headquarters.
Hosting such a prestigious tournament would naturally bring greater prosperity and economic development while integrating Paldea more closely with the other regions.
Soon afterward, the first-round bracket was officially revealed.
As expected, the regional Champions and Vice Champions were almost exclusively matched against Elite Four members or renowned Trainers from other regions.
Although the pairings were advertised as random...
Not a single regional Champion faced another Champion in the opening round.
Aiden certainly wasn't convinced there hadn't been a little behind-the-scenes arrangement.
Cynthia's opponent was Cameron from Unova.
That match was practically guaranteed.
Lorelei would face Reggie from Sinnoh.
Another favorable pairing.
Ash, meanwhile, had drawn Larry, Paldea's Flying-type Elite Four member.
Steven and Wallace had been matched against Olivia and Hala from Alola respectively.
Those matches looked equally secure.
Although Z-Moves were undeniably powerful, Steven possessed Mega Evolution.
Wallace had recently obtained a Gyarados Mega Stone as well, greatly increasing his own strength.
Why should they fear Z-Moves now?
After confirming that his friends had all received their respective opponents, Aiden looked at his own pairing.
The moment he saw it, he raised an eyebrow.
His opponent was—
Elesa.
The famous supermodel and Nimbasa City Gym Leader from Unova.
Drawing Aiden in the first round effectively meant that Elesa's Ultra Ball Tier journey would end before it truly began.
...
Since the Ultra Ball Tier used three-on-three battles, the pace of the tournament was extremely fast.
Watching one renowned Trainer after another get eliminated, Aiden couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
Soon enough, it was finally his turn.
"Our next Ultra Ball Tier match—the Round of 64!"
"Representing the Hoenn League, Champion Aiden Flint!"
"Versus the Nimbasa Gym Leader from the Unova League, Elesa!"
"Both Trainers, please send out your Pokémon!"
As the referee finished speaking, Aiden produced an Ultra Ball.
With a flash of light—
His colossal King Rhyperior appeared.
Standing nearly fifteen meters tall, the gigantic Pokémon towered over the battlefield.
The audience collectively gasped.
"A Rhyperior that enormous?"
"I've never seen anything like it!"
Lorelei smiled knowingly.
After all, she and Aiden had discovered and captured this colossal King Rhyperior together.
It carried precious memories of the two of them.
Elesa's choice was—
Emolga.
Ding! Emolga's current attributes are as follows:
Pokémon: Emolga
Level: 69
Ability: Static
Type: Electric / Flying
Potential: Gold
Bond Evolution: Locked
Mega Evolution: Unavailable
Gigantamax: None
Moves: Thunder Shock, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Electro Ball, Acrobatics, Light Screen, Volt Switch, Agility, Discharge, Thunderbolt, Thunder...
Looking at Emolga's status panel, Aiden nodded inwardly.
Peak Elite Four level.
Unfortunately, in a tournament like this...
That level of strength was only enough for a first-round exit.
Without Champion-level power, advancing into the Top Thirty-Two was almost impossible.
Of course, while Elesa's strength might not have been among the very best, her beauty was undeniable.
As one of Unova's biggest celebrities, her popularity was comparable to Diantha's.
That alone spoke volumes about her charm.
"Aiden."
"Battling you has always been one of my dreams."
"I know I probably can't win."
"But I'll still fight with everything I have!"
The crowd immediately erupted into thunderous cheers.
Countless fans were cheering for Elesa.
Beauty certainly had its advantages.
Aiden smiled.
"That's the spirit."
"Let's battle."
"King Rhyperior!"
"Stone Edge!"
"Emolga!"
"Acrobatics!"
Both Pokémon attacked simultaneously.
King Rhyperior let out a thunderous roar.
The sheer pressure disrupted Emolga's movement.
Moments later, countless razor-sharp stones erupted across the battlefield.
Before Emolga could even complete Acrobatics, it was blasted out of the sky.
"Now!"
"Earthquake!"
The battlefield shook violently.
A tremendous tremor engulfed the arena.
Emolga lost all ability to fight.
Two moves.
A clean knockout.
And this colossal King Rhyperior wasn't even one of Aiden's strongest Pokémon.
Ding! King Rhyperior defeated Emolga.
Experience gained: 7,300.
Level increased.
Current Level: Lv. 75.
After easily defeating Elesa's first Pokémon, the second battle began immediately.
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